This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/540,569, filed Jan. 30, 2004, relevant portions incorporated herein by reference. Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with antibiotics and feed additives.
Antibiotic overuse has led to widespread bacterial drug resistance. Novel antibiotics are needed to combat infections caused by bacterial resistant to conventional antibiotics. It is well known that microbes produce a huge variety of antibiotics to wage chemical warfare against competing microbes.
Many peptide antibiotics of microbial origin are synthesized by non-ribosomal peptide synthases (NRPS) and they contain unusual amino acids. NRPS enzymes usually have a co-linear modular architecture (Mootz, et al., 2002). The N-terminal to C-terminal order and specificities of the individual modules correspond to the sequential order and identities of the amino acid residues in the peptide product. Each NRPS module recognizes a specific amino acid and catalyzes stepwise condensation to form a growing peptide chain. The identity of the amino acid recognized by a particular module can be predicted by comparisons to other modules of known specificities (Challis, et al., 2000). Such strict correlation made it possible to identify genes encoding the NRPS enzymes for a number of microbial non-ribosomal peptides with known structures, as demonstrated by the identification of the mycobactin biosynthesis operon in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Quadri, et al., 1998). Nevertheless, the art recognizes the continuing need to isolate, identify and characterize novel antimicrobial agents.
Examples of feed additives are widely known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,762 issued to Register, discloses one such Poultry and livestock feed additive. Briefly, this patent teaches a poultry and livestock feed additive composition containing 36 wt. % electrolytes, roughage and mineral oil to increase their dietary electrolyte balance. Addition of the electrolyte additive composition improves breeder hen performance as to egg production, body weight, and reduced mortality from heat stress. Broiler chickens on this diet result in increased processing yield, feed conversion and body weight. A method of preparing this dietary electrolyte feed for poultry and livestock is also described.
Yet another example of a feed additive is a taught by Nagai, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,544, which teaches an animal feed additive that includes at least two components selected from the group consisting of the following three components (a), (b) and (c): (a) at least one herb selected from Pine Needle, Hawthorn Fruit, Bighead Atractylodes Rhizome, Milkvetch Root, Skullcap Root, Tangerine Fruit and Mint Siftings; (b) a live bacteria mixture composed of a yeast cell wall and a live bacteria preparation containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and/or Enterococcus faecium; and (c) an organic acid.
Feed additives may also include the byproducts of fermentation and other precesses, such as those taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,574 issued to Julien for a feed additive for ruminant animals containing fungal and/or bacterial fermentation byproducts. The feed additive for ruminants, includes dried fungal and/or bacterial fermentation by products which provide glutamic acid fermentation solubles, dried corn fermentation solubles, or a mixture of dried glutamic acid fermentation solubles and dried corn fermentation solubles, wherein the dried solubles have been dried to a total moisture content of less than 30% by weight at a temperature not less than about 80° F. and not more than about 900° F.